*To make 1 cup cake flour: In a measuring cup add two tablespoons corn flour (starch) and fill it with all purpose flour. Sift the two kinds of flour into a sifter set over a bowl before using, a few times so that they are well combined. Use it in any recipe using cake flour.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C 350 degrees F and place the rack inthe centre of the oven. Line a 35 cm (10 inch) diametre baking tin with parchment paper and butter or spray the sides.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, corn flour, baking powder and mix in salt, vanilla sugar and lemon zest.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter with sugar until creamy and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. After about five minutes the batter should be light in color and fluffy in texture.

Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. You will notice that the batter will look curdled. Don’t worry as the batter will come together again after you add the flour mixture.

Add the flour mixture and mix just until incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Wash and wrap the coin and drop it in the cake.

Bake for about 50 to 60 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove the cake from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and cool completely.

Using a stencil, sift some icing sugar on top.

For the lemon buttercream:

60 grams butter, softened

1 tsp lemon flavoured vanilla sugar

1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest

120 grams icing sugar, sifted

1 tbsp lemon juice

Put all the buttercream ingredients into a bowl and beat together with a hand mixer until smooth and creamy.

When the cake has cooled, spread the filling on top and decorate as you like.

Update for Vassilopita 2014:

I used the above basic recipe and flavoured it with orange

Orange Flavoured Vassilopita

Baking time: about 1 hour

Ingredients:

250 unsalted butter, room temperature

225 grams sugar

200 ml orange juice

100 ml milk

30 ml orange liqueur or Grand Marnier

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

400 grams cake flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon orange zest

120 grams almonds with skin on, powdered

4 large eggs, (about 65 grams each) at room temperature, separated

2 tbsp lemon juice

A pinch of salt

For red sugar icing (optional):

1/3 cup icing sugar

2 – 3 tablespoons blossom water

1 tbsp lemon juice

A few drops of red colour

The directions to make the cake are similar as the above. As I used a hand mixer, I whisked the egg whites with lemon juice and a pinch of salt, separately into a meringue.

The dry ingredients were sifted together.

I then whisked the butter with sugar until fluffy and added the yolks one by one. I added the remaining wet ingredients and turned off the mixer. I then used a spatula and gradually incorporated the flour mixture with meringue, alternating until all was added.

Here’s the remaining:

Remove the cake from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

Remove the cake from the pan and place on a platter. Sprinkle with some icing sugar on a stencil.

Put the remaining icing sugar in a bowl, add lemon juice and colour. Mix and add enough blossom water to make a thick paste. Add more sugar if needed.

15 Responses

May love and laughter light your days,
and warm your heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be yours,
wherever you may roam.
May peace and plenty bless your world
with joy that long endures.
May all life’s passing seasons
bring the best to you and yours!

Happy New year Sis. It has been a pleasure to follow your blog for the past year, to get to know you and share so many delicious and tasty dishes. Eutichismenos o kainourgios chronos!!!!

A beautiful recipe for vassilopita! I’m Greek-Cypriot-Canadian myself and I was really happy to find your site! Happy New Year!

Paras

July 22, 2009

Hi there,

I am Paras from Melbourne Australia, and just by chance I got onto your site.

I am a chef and it is great to see all the traditional recipes on line. It is up to our generation to keep the culture alive.

I have been in the hospitality industry for over 20 years, and Greek food is under estimated by many people, only recently it has come back in vogue..fashion

One question do you have a recipe for Halva Farsalo,(the baked one) I had a friend that made the topping with goats fat..(he passed away not sharing their fantastic recipe…what a waste of knowledge)
they usually make it up the Northern part of Greece. I am from the Pelloponiso we only make the semolina one on the stove.

I would be very grateful if you could email me a recipe.

Keep up the fantastic work.
Bravo sas!!
Paras

Hey there! Welcome or Kopiaste.. to Greek Hospitaly, my virtual kitchen. My name is Ivy and I love food! Kopiaste, is all about healthy eating and living. I post tasty and healthy recipes, along with other health and food related things! Read more...